The Assassin's Handbook
by Lt.Henry08
Summary: Axel, Roxas, Lexaeus, and Xigbar are trained assassins, loyal only to their leader Dalv Kreff who created them as tools. A chance meeting with Roxas' real world brother would alter their perspective and lead to treachery. But it seems Dalv is prepared. AU
1. Chapter 1

This is my first attempt at an AU Kingdom Hearts story. It mainly deals with the Kingdom Hearts characters in an assassin setting. Most are located on Antarctica, and well, just read the story.

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Ale "Axel" Dowe: First experiment in Antarctica.

Braig "Xigbar" Catari: Second experiment.

Aeleus "Lexaeus" Kraal: Third experiment

Sora "Roxas" Tarik: Fourth, most unusual experiment.

Riku Tarik: Sora's brother; currently searching for him.

Dalv Kreff: Leader of Antarctica; experimenter among the denizens.

_Prologue: 18 years before._

The world was supposed to end on 2012, or at least that's what all of the prophecies of Earth pointed to. Instead, the world became unified under the UN, and Antarctica was now made inhabitable to humans through biological changes. In that desolate region, humans changed into something different from the rest of the world, but were still human nonetheless. The inhabitants now had sharp incisors used to rip the blubber of indigenous seals from the flesh, red or black eyes so the bright reflections of the sun upon the snow would not hurt as badly, black hair to retain whatever heat they could, and heightened senses due to the cold climate.

Many years later scientists would learn that what happened in the 'Wasteland' was originally caused by a man who went by the name of Dalv. He considered himself the sole surviving descendent of Vlad the Impaler, and found it his duty to create a perfect race, much like Adolf Hitler once did. For years, the man did gruesome experiments on the denizens of Antarctica, and four subjects in particular proved to be quite interesting. The first test subject had once been of Irish nationality and came to Antarctica for a chance to start over. Through the tests he earned the codename: 'Axel', and instead of gaining black hair, his original red hair intensified and grew out. Dalv took careful note of this, and soon gained another interesting subject. This one had originated from Italy and had come for the oil industry. He ended up in Dalv's facility and using the same serum on him that he did on Axel, Dalv created 'Xigbar' who had some scarring on his face and long black hair. It was odd because the serum usually corrected flaws. He also took careful note of this and continued for many more months.

The third experiment was a burly man hailing from Germany. He came to the Wasteland searching for his brother who had gone missing, but instead found himself needing money to get out. He turned to Dalv's project and became a test subject. Most unusual was the fact that once the serum was injected inside of him, the only thing that happened was he got bigger. The brown hair and eyes stayed the same, and his incisors, which in the previous two experiments grew larger, kept their normal length albeit sharper. Dalv named him Lexaeus.

The last interesting subject arrived around 2028. He was an eighteen year old running away from his home in the United States and this was one of the oddest experiments. When Dalv injected the same

formula into this teen the effects were more diverse than the previous three. His once brown hair turned into a blonde color, and his usual dull blue eyes intensified. And interestingly enough he remembered his past which the others didn't. Dalv did not take not of that special characteristic however. Dalv code-named this one: Roxas.

Over a period of three years after each of the experiments, Dalv noticed a change in behavior for Axel, Xigbar, Lexaeus, and Roxas. Namely, they had a lust for blood. In order to quench that thirst, Dalv at first gave them samples of different species every night, but their thirst for blood became greater. So he made them his personal guard to be sent on missions, killing anyone in the Wasteland who opposed him. His own personal word for the four was the Keepers, but most of the public referred to them as what their ancestors had once called creatures who stalked the night: Vampires.

Unbeknownst to Dalv, each had developed their own personal power which they kept a secret for fear of more experiments.

_New York City, New York. September 30, 2030. _

Jungles in their very essence are not easy to navigate. That's why New York City is named one. Not for the plant life, but the sheer immobility of the place. Despite troublesome dead ends and streets that look the same, a small car makes its way to the Wasteland's Embassy Suite.

The black Mercedes rolled up by the gate and screeched to a halt. One burly man stepped out of the car and placed something on the hood. Three others got out soon after. Silently they raced off to another part of the embassy and hid in the brush surrounding it.

The smallest of the four produced a device from his coat pocket and placed it in his right hand. The burly man nodded after the two gave him a thumbs-up sign. The small one lifted his left finger and poked the single button on the device.

A large explosion emanated from the now vacant car and warning sirens screeched in the air. A hustle of guard's feet told the four that they were converging onto the scene they had left. The four then moved swiftly into the deserted courtyard and took up post in a musty room that Naminè had told them was abandoned. The tallest of the four was sniffling in the dark. A voice picked up in the darkness.

"Vhut are you crying about?" The voice said in its broken English.

"Dude that was my favorite car! You guys totally wrecked it."

The smallest one in the group piped up with a, "Couldn't you just get another one?"

"Another one?! That was a one of a kind Mercedes Benz! They don't make those suckers anymore and you blew it up!"

"Axel, shut up and concentrate on de mission." The burly man said. "It iz simple, ve go in und kill de Ambassador den leave."

"And if that's too hard, then you can leave the Keepers." A sarcastic voice remarked from the shadows.

"Okay guys, you didn't have to call me on it." Axel said, and then a shuffling noise was heard as he was rummaging through his coat pockets. "Yo, Roxas, gimme a light."

"Sure thing." Moments later a deep red-orange light appeared in the room, followed by the scent of cigarette smoke.

"Put that out! Someone will smell it!"

Axel kept on puffing as he said, "Relax Xigbar. No one's going to find us in here."

An alarm sounded, followed by the frantic barking of guard dogs. Hurried footsteps echoed around the room and the cigarette dropped to the ground. Axel's foot smashed it into the ground, effectively putting it out.

"Yes, you just 'ad to say sumting." The burly man barked again, "OK, ev'ryone continue the mission as directed. Be more careful."

"Aye-aye, sir. Roxas reporting out." Roxas clambered out of the window in the right corner and disappeared into the night.

Xigbar took a step forward and shook his head, "Poor kid, still doesn't know how to sprout wings."

"Uhh, Xigbar…only you can do that." Axel said. Xigbar just shrugged his shoulders and took off into the night sky.

"Vell, vhut are you vaiting for?" the burly man asked Axel.

"For you to get you and your weird accent outta here Lexaeus." Axel replied.

Lexaeus shot him a glare and phased through the back wall. Axel sighed, and then snapped his fingers which created a fire inside of the room. As flames licked around him he tapped into his speed and fled into the courtyard.

Guards would hurry to the burning area and concentrate on putting it out. They did not notice four silent figures moving across the courtyard separately.

_Eastern Block; Main Control Room; Roxas_

As soon as I had jumped from the window I made my way to the shadow of a tall oak by the small pond in the court. Crouching there I spotted the building from which I would be able to get into the main control room. From there it would be too easy to shut down the power grid.

Now getting into the building; that was a different story.

Guards strode in and out of the only entrance, and I feared I would have to sit here and wait for hours. Luckily after a couple of minutes they ran towards the building we were previously in. I looked over my shoulder and saw orange-red tongues of flame licking upon the walls. I silently thanked Axel for using his power for something productive and made my way into the eastern building.

The corridor behind the doorway was well-lit and warm; a very bad environment for an assassin. At this single moment I wished that my latent powers would awaken themselves into something useful, like invisibility. Instead I was met with the same barrier that had always blocked my power. _Killjoy_, I thought to myself.

I tried to remain as unnoticeable as possible around the upper windows and when I saw that the guards were coming back in I quickly broke into a run. Before you ask, I knew where I was going. The mission briefing beforehand had showed me the layout of the place. So I knew by memory to turn left at a cross-section on the third floor, but to my knowledge there wasn't supposed to be a DNA scanner on the door.

I was stuck.

I only had one option: in the unlikely event that a guard would happen to pass by, I would have to apprehend him and use his DNA to unlock the door. So I did the only thing I could. Sat down and played the latest handheld gaming system. Now I suppose I had been sitting there awhile because when Lexaeus started to buzz me through our linkers he was furious.

"Vhut is going on?!" He screamed into his linker, causing me to instinctively pull my head away from my own ear piece. "You vere supposed to 'ave disabled the powver grid by now! Axel and Xigbar 'ave already reached deir destination but dey are stuck."

"I ran into a slight problem towards the control room." I spoke calmly. One of us had to be sensible. Screaming at each other would just alert the guards, not that Lexaeus had anything to worry about. The man could probably take on a four hundred pound gorilla by himself.

"Und that vould be?"

"DNA scanner on the third floor. I need a guard's handprint."

"Den get one!"

"Well, I would, but none of the guards come back here. I would have to leave and try to catch one by their self in the hallways. Not a very easy task my big friend."

"Vhutever. I vant you in dat control room before thirty minutes iz up. Lexaeus out."

I sighed as I threw the linker back into my pocket. Sometimes that big oaf could just downright infuriate me. He obviously looked over the fact that if I would go back and catch a guard I would put the mission at risk. That just wouldn't go over too well with Dalv.

So I continued to wait, but this time surveyed my surroundings a bit closer. Behind me was the door, to the left was a blank wall, same to the right, ahead of me was the end of the hallway and a turn to the right. Below me was solid tile, but above me was an air duct. I figured I could use it to "stealthily" capture a guardsman.

Noisily (for I had stopped caring about making loud noises at that point) I clambered up into the vent and made my way back through the building. I stopped every couple of seconds to listen for chatter and each time my breathing grew more laborious. Finally after what seemed like fifteen of my thirty minutes I heard a light shuffle of feet. I backtracked to the last grate and poked my head through once I had lifted it up.

The guard was standing with another female guard in front of me. Luckily, he was much taller than her or else I would have been caught. So I just waited in that position until I heard him bid her good-bye and prepared to make my move. As soon as he turned around my hand clamped around his mouth and I struggled to pull him into the vent. I think that while doing that something dropped from his belt and made the other guard turn around. (The hallway wasn't terribly long). I pulled with all my strength and listened as I heard the guard cry out into her linker,

"Code 34!! We have a hostile in the building! Repeat, hostile in the building!"

I quickly knocked the guard out with a pressure point to the jugular vein. As I dragged him down back to the hallway with the door, I realized that I had left my handheld lying on the ground there. I swore under my breath, _I had to save up two hits to get that thing! They better not touch it. _

A little later I was in front of the door once again and found the handheld still lying in the same spot. Apparently the guards hadn't thought to look back here. Strange, I know.

I put the guards hand up to the door and a light flashed green which let me in. Unfortunately enough, the guard was awake and gaining his surroundings. It took him a while, but eventually he put the pieces together and figured out that I was breaking and entering.

"Hey, you! Stop right there, that room is for personnel only!"

"Obviously, or else there wouldn't be a DNA scanner there, now would there?" I spat out. Honestly, sometimes guards could be the most idiotic people on the planet. Except for the guards in Prague, now that was a tough assignment.

"Step away from the door and you won't get hurt." He said. _Does every single guard have to say that? It's __**so**__ cliché._

"Oh, right. I went through all this trouble to get here and now you want me to back down. That makes perfect sense." I knew I was pushing the limit here, but what did I care? All I needed was for him to try to grab me and he would instantly get acquainted with his maker. To try to provoke him a bit I bared my teeth, the same teeth that held vampire incisors.

His face paled a little bit as he realized that he was dealing with the infamous Vampires of the Wasteland. I saw that his feet were starting to step back, so I drew my custom made 18th century replica pistol.

"What're you going to do with that peashooter? I bet you found it in an old antique show. Probably doesn't even work."

I knew that there was a reason I didn't like this guard. That was it. Since he so arrogantly asked me what I was going to do with my 'peashooter' I would show him.

I locked back the cocking mechanism and fired. It hit with deadly accuracy (one of the tune-ups I had made) and he looked shocked.

"That." I said heavily as his eyes rolled back into his skull and he dropped to the ground hard. Blood pooled around his body and for a moment I was tempted to stop and drink it, but continued on into the room. Lexaeus would be reporting in any minute now.

I spotted the computer which would let me access the power grid on the left wall and immediately set to work.

Basically that meant taking a CD out of my bag and popping it into the PC next to the grid. A virus was encrypted onto it and it instantly attacked the information that controlled the power for the board. Five minutes later I was packing the CD back up into the bag and talking to Lexaeus about a job well done.

"So everyting is safe and secure?" He asked quietly. I guessed he must be in hiding somewhere.

"Yup." I answered then added, "Had to kill someone on the way. I didn't stop to drink though. There wasn't enough time."

"Gud man. Now just destroy de compooter and get to de rendezvous point. I vill be there vithin anudder thirty."

I pulled my gun out again, shot the monitor, and then shot the tower. I jumped out the window and onto the landing below. From there I silently made my way out of the compound and headed to a local café. My part was done.

_Xigbar: Meanwhile on the Northern tower…_

As soon as I touched down onto the tower I looked around at the courtyard. Guards were scampering onto the scene of Axel's fire. I had worked with the man for far too long to not know his handiwork. While crouching on the stonework the wings I had sprouted folded back into my spine. I winced as this happened. The damn things still stung when they were going in.

Back to my mission though, while Roxas was having a picnic getting to the control room, _my_ mission was to infiltrate the main hall and eliminate any hostiles I come across. That basically meant go in, disable anything worth disabling, and shoot whoever gets in my way. I would have fun with this though. I pulled my semi-automatic pistols from their holsters and twirled them around my fingers for amusement. I figured I wouldn't even need to use my secondary power.

I hoped that I would though. It had been awhile that I could use it. Just seeing the fear on my opponent's faces when I appeared from all angles was priceless. I holstered one pistol back in before drawing out a small pen-like object. This handy tool would help me get into the building by cutting a hole into the glass. After a few moments from activation I was inside the large tower standing precariously on a ledge. Below me were about twenty guards, each of them armed with fully automatic AK-49s---the successor to the AK-47s.

From where I was it was impossible to get down below and survive without superhuman help. Well, good thing I had just that. I sprouted the helpful wings again, drew my pistols and took a suicide dive down the bottom. As I was falling I couldn't help but notice the architecture of the buildings. Quite exquisite actually, it probably dated back to the Civil War era. In a moment I was standing on the ground surrounded by troops with my cloak billowed around me and my head hung down.

One nervous officer ran up to me, his finger starting to compress the trigger. A bullet was placed in his head then his corpse was kicked back into the other guard behind him, knocking that one out. I spun on my heel and pulled the second gun under my arm, firing .9 mm bullets into any guards (there were three by the way) that were behind me. The gun in my right hand flew forward and fired one shot into the commanding officer's chest which probably only knocked him out for a couple minutes. I jumped into the air again, flew around for a bit to intimidate them and landed on a pillar. They started firing on my location before I warped to another pillar.

Ah, their faces fully displayed the fear they felt. I gained a heightened sense by the tension in the air and launched myself off of the pillar. Through the air I continuously fired upon the guards, killing about five guards in the process before landing into a roll on the ground. Two guards came up behind me and as soon as they pulled the trigger I was behind them. I pumped one bullet into the first guard's head then just to amuse myself, sunk my fangs into the other one. He screamed out in pain and I let go then shot a bullet into his chest.

I turned, while wiping blood off of my face, with a maniacal smile plastered on lips. The remaining, oh I'd say eight of them, were now fumbling with their weapons, trying to get a lock on me. Needless to say, I didn't do them any favors when I started to warp again. One by one I picked each one off until the only one left was the wounded commanding officer. He was starting to regain his surroundings, which would make it that much harder to get information.

I briskly walked over to him and picked him up by his uniform. I glared menacingly into his eyes, but strangely he wasn't too scared of me. _Hmph, ruin my fun why don't you?_ I thought.

"Where is the control panel in this infernal room?" I asked. I figured since he wasn't scared of my glare I might as well get to the point. He was worth that at least.

"Who are you?" He replied back. Great, I have a conversationalist on my hands. Just what I need.

"Xigbar. Now answer the question." I said shortly. This interrogation wasn't going anywhere.

"You're a Keeper then." I thought nothing of his answer.

"Well, yes….but, wait. How do you know our organization's name? The public just calls us vampires."

"Simple: my brother is who you call 'Roxas'."

I froze. Civilians weren't supposed to know our names. Nor were our relatives supposed to know we were even vampires, not that we knew of our relatives any longer. Roxas would get into so much trouble if Dalv found out.

"You don't look like the little runt." I said calmly. I couldn't let him know that I was shocked.

"Yeah, everyone always said that. We each look like only one of our parents. Nothing alike." He smiled slightly, "So you're the Xigbar that my little brother keeps complaining about. You don't seem so tough."

The vein in my forehead throbbed a bit. Why do I always have to get the smart ones?

"Did you not just see what I did to your comrades?"

"Please, do you actually think I'm part of that crew?"

My mouth dropped open. _Is this kid stupid?_ I asked myself.

"You are dressed in their uniform and with them."

He blinked slowly, then looked down. He grinned sheepishly at me after a moment.

"Yeah, these aren't mine. I killed the commanding officer and took his place. The idiots never knew the difference."

I have to say. I like this kid better than his brother. At least this one doesn't care to kill someone. Well, I couldn't just leave him here; I might as well bring him back to the Wasteland.

"Alright kid, you've proven yourself to me. Come on."

"Where are we going?"

"I still have to disable the control panel remember?"

"Oh, I already did that."

I grinned widely. My fangs showed themselves to him and he didn't flinch once. Well, I was right. This Riku is pretty cool.

"OK, then we'll just leave and meet up with your brother."

"Whatever you say." He replied back.

We both walked out of the embassy without any guards attacking. Of course they wouldn't be attacking. Their hands were full with Axel.

_Axel: Immediately during_

My muscles were starting to hurt a tiny bit. Sort of anyway. Well, in any case, I know all the bodies behind me aren't ever going to complain about hurt ever again. Kind of morbid to talk about really, but it doesn't bother me anymore. I used to be like the kid, always afraid to kill but now it's like that's the only reason for living. Damn Dalv.

Back to the mission anyway.

My mission was to just render as many people as possible incapable to chase after Lexaeus. Not that the loving big man would need the back-up. I was kind of mad about my assignment though. Usually I get the hit, but I guess my last one was a little too messy for Dalv's taste. (Let's just say that the police weren't going to be identifying the body any time soon.)

So here I am in the middle of the main hall with a kill count of about 25 and climbing. I know I probably won't leave this place with under 50 kills. How do I know that you ask? Easy. Almost every guard is right where I'm standing. Amazing odds isn't it? About one hundred fifty of them against lil' old me. I feel kind of sorry.

For them I mean, really, does anyone stand a chance against me? I'm the best Keeper there is.

But of course they don't know I am one yet. The one in charge of this group steps forward confidently towards me. (Big mistake if you ask me, but I can't call the shots on this one.) He draws his sidearm and points it at me. Like that's really intimidating.

"Surrender now and we will just arrest you. If you refuse then we will have no choice but to apprehend you." He says smartly. Like with the cock-sure grin and everything. God, I hate that on other people. I allowed myself to laugh out loud.

"Apprehend me? Don't you think all of these guards are a little much for one person? Seems like over kill."

"We have heard a rumor from one of the guards in the Eastern bloc that there is a Vampire on the rampage."

As soon as he said that I groaned, that was Xigbar's assigned place. He always has to leave at least one person left so they can spread the terror. It's fine that he does that but why does it always have to be _me_ that picks up after him? Whatever, looks like I have no choice.

"Well officer, I'm afraid you'll have to apprehend me. I have a mission to complete." I sped toward him like a flash of lightning, astonishing everyone around me.

I was behind him with a knife to his throat before he could blink. The officer clutched at my arm but I was unmoving. The rest of the guards had put up their weapons ready to fire upon me. I chuckled at the sight of all these guards trying to take out one person when they should be occupied with finding Lexaeus who should be almost on target.

The man started to flail a bit, but he couldn't get out of my vice-like grip. "Be still," I growled into his ear. "This can be as painless as possible for you. One quick slice and it's all over."

My hostage stiffened against my arms once again. "I-i-if y-you k-kill me n-now my guards w-will k-kill yo-ou."

"I don't think I can be killed that easily. After all, if the stories are right, Vampires are incredibly hard to kill." I grinned widely, which 'accidentally' let the other guards catch glimpse of my enlarged canine teeth.

"Y-you th-think-k yo-ou ka-can ssstand a ch-chance against-t wu-one hundred guards?" He stuttered out, clearly the guy couldn't hear himself talking right now. It's actually pathetic (Humans seem to always think they are intimidating in numbers).

"Actually I think I stand more than a chance. I hope you believe in God because you're about to meet your maker." With that, I sliced across his neck with my silver knife, cutting open his jugular vein and cartaroid artery in a clean cut. Blood spilled down his chest and onto my other arm but I didn't drop him. He gurgled slightly in my arms as his life slowly echoed away from him. The officer went still, then the firing began.

When they saw their leader bite the bullet, the guards quickly cocked their rifles and aimed. I knew I would have to use my super-speed to get out of this situation as they started firing bullet after bullet towards me.

I first tried to swerve in and out of the path of bullets, but that proved difficult while still carrying the commanders corpse. Two bullet scrapes at high speed reminded me that even though they thought I was hard to kill didn't mean that I was completely invulnerable. I decided to try a new tactic that Xigbar once told me about. Quickly I held the corpse up as a shield, and bullet after bullet rained into the body but not one touched me (more or less thanks to the fact that he was wearing a state-of-the-art bulletproof vest, otherwise that many bullets would've ripped through by now). The guards ran out of bullets, unfortunately for them.

Before they could do anything else, I had thrown the corpse at them to confuse. I then quickly sped around the area, and using my handy-dandy can of gasoline, covered the floors with the flammable substance. I did a backflip away then stood there as they aimed the rifles again. With one snap of my fingers the entire room was in a large blaze, stopping their offensive.

I grinned at my handiwork. I don't think anyone would get out of this fire alive. Slowly, as the flames started to lick at my mint-condition Italian made boots, I walked out of the room virtually unscathed.

My mission had ended, and I was really thirsty.

_Lexaeus: During_

I think I'm getting old. Not old as in gray hairs and that bit. I mean like too old to be an assassin still. I've been in the business just as long as Axel, but I came in older. If you didn't already know, I'm 35 years old. Which is about 4 or 5 years over Dalv's age limit. I can't retire though. I have no memory of before I was a Vampire, and I don't know how to do anything but kill.

Sad and sorry state for me to be in.

Maybe that's why I sort of feel bad for the Ambassador. You see, he's too old for his job too. The man is getting into his sixties and Dalv feels that he may let vital information slip out. Vital information that needs to stay secret.

That's where the Keepers come in. We were assigned the mission about 3 days ago, and surprisingly enough, I was given the kill. At the time I thought it was because of my efforts during the last hit. But as the briefing and lessons for the mission went on, I realized that Dalv was testing me. He thinks I'm getting too old too. Not that I blame him.

Woops. Getting a little off topic here. Okay, back to the mission. So here I am bull-dozing my way through the deserted building, unhindered by anything. Not that any guards are there to stop me thanks to the efforts of Xigbar and Axel.

Within another ten minutes I'm right outside the door to his office. I draw my custom sidearm up and held it up in one hand. I tried the door, locked. Of course it's locked, any person with a brain would lock the door to their room after a car blew up outside of their suite. Rummaging through my pockets I found one of those handy laser pens for lock-picking. In a flash, the door was unlocked and I was in.

Something struck me as odd however. The bed off to the right was unoccupied and there seemed to be a distinct sound of running water from the other room. It's far too late for someone to be in there taking a shower or what have you, so I went to investigate. It seemed that someone beat me to the punch when I walked in. The Ambassador was lying inside of the tub, which was now overflowing, and had a bullet wound under his chin, exiting out the top of his head. The gun itself was on the outside. A standard pistol that anyone could buy, so I ruled out another assassin.

It would have to be suicide then. But why? Had he really known that his hour had come? Well, regardless, I would have to do something to make it look like it was murder. For example, I could easily make it look like I had previously shot him, then put the bullet to his chin and fired away. But there lied the problem that my gun wasn't like his. So anyone who did an autopsy would surely notice.

I groaned as I realized I would have to use the small pistol lying on the ground. When I picked it up, I shook a little of the water off. The snap was heard as I cocked the gun. With one finger on the trigger, I pulled back and let one bullet loose into his chest. I silently holstered the tiny gun, and walked out of the room.

I crawled out the window and escaped to the café, stripping the wet over-clothes off of me while doing so.

_At the café. _

Lexaeus walked in brusquely, earning hard stares from the few denizens still in. He quickly strode over to the table where his comrades were at, and plopped into a chair. Lexaeus was too busy to even notice there was another extra man there.

"The hit went well Lexaeus?"

Lexaeus looked up, he couldn't tell who said that. The voice was too deep to be Roxas', and it didn't have the drawl of Axel or Xigbar. So who else was there? He finally looked around and saw a new silver haired man, probably a couple years older than Roxas sitting there smirking at him. Who did this punk think he was?

"Alvright, Axel, whoo exactly iz dis?" The red-head shrugged, and pointed to Xigbar.

"Why do you always assume it's me? How about asking Scarface over there?" Lexaeus gave him a glare.

"Yeah, he's my responsibility. Wait till he tells you who he is."

So they sat there listening to Riku's tale of trying to look for Sora all over the country then finally getting a note in his handwriting signed by a 'Roxas'. After careful observation he realized the name was an anagram of his true name. Within another week they were secretly corresponding with each other.

Then this hit came, and Riku found it to be the perfect chance to meet up with his little brother once again. So now here he was, telling his story to his brother, Xigbar, a crazy red-haired Vampire, and a huge man he did not want to get on his bad side.

"Roxas, do you hav any idea how much trouble you culd get into?"

"Yeah, but I had to talk to someone, it's hard knowing where you came from and not being able to share it."

Everyone stopped doing what they were doing. Each looked at him with a blank face.

"You mean to tell me that you remember your past, kid?" Xigbar asked incredulously.

"Yeah, I somehow unlocked it while searching for my power."

"I tink I know vhut dis means."

"And that would be?"

"Dat iz Roxas' powver, to unlock peoples' minds."

Roxas even had to laugh a little on that one. It was so far-fetched compared to all their powers it was almost absurd. Regardless he would have to assume that's what it was, it's the only explanation to why he couldn't tell he had a power after 2 years as an assassin.

"OK, but we still have a problem. The kid has contact with the outside world. If Dalv finds out then we'll all be screwed now."

"The only thing we can do is leave Riku here as our informant, because let's face it. The information we get from Dalv sucks." Xigbar replied back, and everyone concurred.

_Later the next day_

"I'll cya bro."

"Yeah, yeah. Just take care of yourself and keep in touch."

"I will find a way to get out of my service, we can then find mom and dad again. I promise."

The two brothers shook hands and embraced as Roxas' plane started to take off. Their short reunion wasn't enough to fill the gap that not having a family produced.

"Get out of here, you little runt." Riku told him with a smile on his face.

"Alright, but next time I see you I'll show you I'm not a runt anymore." Roxas returned the smile back and boarded the plane.

Riku climbed into his car and sped off. He just had to tell Kairi who he just saw. She would be so happy.

* * *

Endnote: Yeah, it's really long, but really it's been a blast writing it. For now it's a one-shot, but seeing how my ending is ambiguous I can easily start it back up.

So what I need from you, O loyal reviewers, is to give me feedback so I'll be inspired to write more. Sorry if the characters are a little OOC by the way. I tried to make them as close of a personality that I could give in real life. The Lexaeus character is probably really bad, because I've never seen him outside of pictures or heard his voice.

But that's about it.


	2. Chapter 2

Hey sorry about the long wait folks, but I had a lack of creativity going on in my head. I was also pretty busy with other things. Anyway, here's my most original story yet back for a second dose. I'm trying to keep it intriguing and would love any comments on it. Happy reading to all!

* * *

Back in Antarctica, a man standing alone in a room was waiting anxiously for the assassin team to arrive. He kept his gloved hands clasped behind his back as he stared out the window, looking up at the full moon in front of him. There were some stories of the moon having some adverse affect on humans, but he believed none of it. To him, the only thing that was real was science. Which reminded him, his new experiment was almost completed. Maybe this one would be more loyal.

Oh yes, he knew all about his assassin's treachery. Those four would be dealt with in time, perhaps even by his perfect killing machine. But that would wait until his opponents were dealt with.

The intercom on the desk behind him buzzed. He turned and pressed a finger on it. "Yes...?"

The speaker crackled, "Uh, sir, there's four strangers here to see you. Should I send them up?"

Dalv allowed himself a sigh in frustration. He was getting sick of those idiots constantly going in through the bottom floor. Now that poor secretary would have to be killed. She saw them, and now she saw too much. No one else should know that these 'Vampires' work for him.

He wasn't so naïve to think that world leaders didn't have a clue. But for the rest of the world populace, well he would like to think that the standard of intelligence was gradually dropping. "Send them up please. You're dismissed after this, Violette. The shift is done."

"Thank you sir. I'll send them right away."

He lifted his finger, then sat down in his chair. The feel of cool leather enveloped his body as he sunk in, more relaxed than ever. The door swung open in front of him, and the four stood in its place. Their grins automatically told him that their mission was a success but he waved for them to sit down regardless. He was anxious to see if his spies had been right about their double-crossing.

"Well talk. Don't just sit there. I want to know." He looked directly at Lexaeus. The buffoon was too old, he would be the first test for his new experiment. Oh yes, Dalv planned on replacing them. Especially that dreadful Roxas. Unfortunately, he chose wrong with that boy, something Dalv had trouble admitting.

"Yes, vell the mission vus a success. Dey were completely unsoospecting Ve slipped in und out."

Dalv nodded, "Go then. That's all I care about. You have another mission in a day. Start preparing."

In the time it took them to get there, they were gone in the same. Dalv stood from his chair and continued his previous activity. A burning sensation entered his hand at that time. Under inspection he found the skin had become red and black swirls were appearing. He became worried but at the same time felt anticipation. He just knew this had something to do with his own experiments upon himself. Dalv exited the room and made his way down to the lab.

"Uh, sir, where are you going?" The secretary asked as he passed her.

He gave no answer except for a single bullet into her skull. If anyone would wonder why he killed his secretary, he would have to give them the same answer he gave before. Too much information. He chuckled to himself as he thought about his Keepers thinking he was incapable of doing things himself. In fact, he knew he was stronger than any of them.

So why keep the assassins? Simple, it takes the heat off of him.

The door slid open, beeping as it did so. He grabbed a lab coat and put it on in a fluid motion. A computer chimed, greeting him as it turned on the lights. He typed in a couple of sequenced codes to access the mainframe.

"Ah, this is good." He said to himself as he threw open the curtain in front of him. The computer had indicated the self-induced coma his newest experiment had been put into was wearing off. This meant he could see if he had a success. The woman on the table stirred, her fingers and toes twitching as they regained feeling. Her chest rose and fell more rapidly with every passing second. Despite himself, Dalv admired her beauty. This was truly the perfect specimen. Adrenaline pumped through his veins as he watched as her eyes slowly opened, revealing crystal blue orbs. They stared at each other as Dalv was overwhelmed with triumph.

"You're Dalv right?" She asked finally. For the first time he was utterly speechless. His modifications had worked! This was the first experiment to remember past occurrences. "And I think this is your lab?"

He nodded, "Why of course it is, Larxene." He had been so determined that the experiment would work he even made her a code-name in advance. The woman once named Arlene had already become his most trusted servant.

Her nose wrinkled in confusion. "I thought my name was Arlene?"

"It was. I changed it. You are a different being now. Like me, you have powers beyond your wildest dreams." As she nodded, Dalv noticed tiny electrical charges surging from her wrists to the tips of her fingers. It seemed she noticed as well. He watched as she stared in amazement when a lightning bolt sprung from her fingertip and struck the nearest wall.

"Wow. I can do that?" She said, although both of them knew the obvious answer.

"That and so much more. Now come. There is much to discuss."

They both swiftly made their way back to his office where he gave her some clothes that she could wear, as well as a briefing on the situation.

"So I'm going to be used to kill your other...experiments?"

"Not right away. Eventually perhaps. But not today. Today you will become acquainted with your newfound powers. Then when the time is right, you and I will unleash our true power upon them."

"You wish me to remain secret?"

"But of course, m'dear. Anything else would ruin the plan." He said as he gently stroked the side of her face. Utter perfection, he mused to himself once again.

"I see. Very well, your word will be done."

Through the next hour he discussed with her where to train and exactly she was to do until her destiny would be fulfilled. Then a beep went off and before Larxene could ask what it was, Dalv shooed her away. The next test was about to begin.

"Ah Dalv. You have done it again. This time better than before. How can you outdo yourself?" He asked himself after she left. He rummaged through one of his syringe drawers and pulled out a booster. Searching a cupboard above it, he managed to find a serum as well.

"Well, cheers to another step closer to immortality." He filled the booster with serum and with one stab, plunged it directly into his awaiting vein. A bright pulse rippled through his arm and coursed through his entire body. He lifted his head up into the air and yelled. The feeling of invincibility overwhelmed him as he fought to control the urge to test it.

He had to test it. He owed it to himself. Looking around, he spotted a bookcase. Dalv threw himself at it headlong. He winced in pain as his skull smashed into the top shelf, splintering it. He staggered back as he felt his head. It came down red. Blood. The invincible man was bleeding. It was unheard of. A feeling of disappointment rushed over his body all at once. As blood pooled around him he madly laughed in pain. Then silence ushered through the lab. As quickly as it came, his madness subsided. With one last shudder of pain, Dalv slipped into unconsciousness.

Larxene shuffled on the outside of an expansive door. The metal door clanged against itself as she knocked incessantly.

"Yes?" A shifty voice squeaked from behind the door.

"I was sent here by Dalv. Is this the training area?"

The man behind the door almost fainted after hearing Dalv's name. He immediately guessed it was another of those accursed experiments. Another person walked up behind the squeaky voiced man.

"Even, what's the matter?" He questioned upon seeing Even's anxious face.

"It's another of those experiments Aïs. It's a woman this time."

"Hmm," Aïs thought for a moment. "Very well, let her in. We don't want Dalv angry with us."

The metal door hissed open and Larxene stepped through with her eyes searching the room fervently. Aïs made his way to greet the newest experiment with open arms.

"Hello there. My name is Aïs," He motioned with his hands, "And this is Even. We're the finest combat specialists in the world. Mind telling me your name?"

"It's Larxene."

"Well then, Larxene, step inside. Your training is about to begin." Aïs and Even smiled at each other. Each new recruit brought them the opportunity to dish out more punishment. Pain that they both relished in dealing to these freaks of Dalv's.


End file.
